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27-06-2018

Times of Oman

Muscat: More Omanis are being invited to pursue higher education in India, and relaxed rules for non-Indian students are being cited for reaching out to Omanis.

A new rule states that students from Oman and elsewhere around the world can join Indian engineering colleges, and even the elite Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), without having to appear for the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE), as Indian students do.

Notably, higher education in India is less expensive, compared to other options for Omanis who want to study abroad.

The relaxed rules are a part of the larger scheme to open India up to foreign students. For this reason, a centralised admission portal was recently launched. Non-Indian students can use this portal to apply for admission to over 19,000 seats at over 100 colleges throughout India.

“India presents an attractive destination for Omani youth for their higher studies. GoI (Government of India) has launched a centralised admission portal https://www.studyinindia.gov.in/home where foreign students can apply for admission for over 19,000 seats available in over 100 premier institutions in India,” the Indian embassy tweeted.

India’s ambassador to Oman, Indra Mani Pandey, said that the relaxation of rules would be key in attracting more foreign students.

“For the first time, foreign students can apply for admission to Indian engineering colleges and even IITs without having to write the JEE. This is a rule that has come into existence from this academic year. Moreover, scholarships are available for half of the foreign students who are admitted. “Then, there is the simplicity of the admission process. The portal allows you to seek admission to a multitude of colleges. You don’t have to pay a single penny when applying, and can pay only after the admission process begins,” Pandey added.

The ambassador said that studying in India had several advantages, not least being the relatively economical cost of education in the country.

“In India, a high quality education can be had at a comparatively low cost. Even without scholarship it is very cheap, when you compare it to education in some western countries. Of course, this scheme covers medical and engineering colleges, as well.

“Other advantages that Omanis would feel when studying in India is that geographically, India is quite close. Moreover, culturally, India and Oman are quite similar. Omanis can study there and feel at home,” he remarked.

Pandey added that studying in India would expose one to a host of job opportunities.

You have to realise that many of these educational institutions are internationally recognised. Our citizens work abroad after studying in these colleges, and Omanis can do the same.

“India is a large and growing economy. I’m sure Omani students can find jobs during campus interviews there, or they can choose to come back and work in the Sultanate, as well,” the ambassador noted.